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Tonight, we explore
one of the Bible’s
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most powerful artifacts.
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Anybody who is unworthy
could be blinded,
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or if they touch it,
they’ll be killed.
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A holy relic that’s been missing
for over 2,000 years.
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People continue to believe
that the Ark is still out there,
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that it still can be found.
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Now, we uncover the top theories
surrounding its disappearance.
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It was simply carried
to Ethiopia.
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It’s in the Vatican
Secret Archives.
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He hid it in anticipation
of the Babylonian destruction.
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Can a new search finally reveal
its location?
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I’m confident
that this is the mother lode.
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What became of the legendary
Ark of the Covenant,
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and can it ever be found?
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[music]
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Qumran, Israel, 2014.
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After 16 years of hard work,
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researcher Jim Barfield
believes he’s closing in
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on one of history’s
most mysterious artifacts.
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JIM BARFIELD:
This ancient Jewish settlement
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is where the Dead Sea Scrolls
were found in 1947.
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But I believe it hides
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an even greater treasure.
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I believe I’ve found
the location
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of the greatest biblical
archaeological discovery,
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the Ark of the Covenant.
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LAURENCE: If Barfield
is correct,
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he could solve
a mystery that begins
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thousands of years ago.
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ROBERT CARGILL: According to
the Book of Exodus,
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the story of the Ark
dates back to Ancient Egypt
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in the 13th century BCE.
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NICOLA DENZEY LEWIS:
The Exodus is one
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of the most
famous stories ever told.
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Moses and the Israelites
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survive a plague that takes
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the first-born sons of the land.
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Moses leads the Israelites
out of the land of Egypt,
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and they move across
the Red Sea,
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where the waters
miraculously part
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when he holds up
his magical staff.
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HUGO MENDEZ: They arrive
at a mountain
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in which God gives them
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the Ten Commandments.
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The Israelites build
a holy vessel,
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a sacred box to hold these
tablets of the Commandments.
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It’s called
the Ark of the Covenant.
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NICOLA: The Bible gives
a very clear description
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as to what the Ark of
the Covenant looks like.
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God himself is, in fact,
the architect of this,
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so it’s very precise
about the measurements
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and the way that
it has to be built.
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HUGO: It’s made of acacia wood
two and a half cubits long,
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one and a half cubits wide,
and one and a half cubits high,
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or about 52 inches long,
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31 inches wide,
31 inches high.
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It’s covered entirely in gold
inside and out.
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It has four gold rings
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on which poles are attached
for it to be carried.
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Finally, it’s topped off
with an ornate gold lid
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that has two sculptures
of cherubim on top.
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LAURENCE: According to
the Old Testament,
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the Israelites carry the Ark
for 40 years
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wandering through the desert.
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Along the way,
it displays great power.
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NICOLA: In the Book of Joshua,
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when they reach
the River Jordan,
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the Ark miraculously
dries up the waters
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so that they can cross.
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ED FEINSTEIN: The first battle
that the Israelites fight
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is against the great city
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of Jericho.
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Israelites were commanded
to circle the city seven times,
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blow the horns, and then
in the presence of the Ark,
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the walls of Jericho would fall.
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The Israelites
would take the city
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and they would gain possession
of that area
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of the land of Israel.
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Further accounts in
First and Second Samuel
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note that anybody
who is unworthy
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who even looks at the Ark
could be blinded,
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or if they touch it,
they’ll be killed.
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There’s also the story
of the Philistines.
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The Philistines capture the Ark.
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They’re suddenly afflicted
with a plague of mice or rats,
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and with horrible boils
that the Philistines get
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all over their bodies.
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They actually end up
giving the Ark back
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to the Israelites,
and along with it,
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a coffer filled
with gold sculptures--
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kind of an apology for having
taken the Ark
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in the first place.
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LAURENCE: Eventually, the Ark
is brought to Jerusalem,
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where King Solomon builds
the first Jewish temple
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at a place called
the Temple Mount.
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He houses the Ark inside
within a special room
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called the Holy of Holies.
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The temple is completed
by around 950 BCE,
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and for four centuries,
the Ark in the temple
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becomes the center
sort of thrumming heart
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of the Kingdom of Israel.
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The Ark of the Covenant
was the focal point
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of religious devotion,
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a place where God
spoke to the world.
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LAURENCE: Then, war breaks out
in 587 BC.
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CARGILL: The Babylonians
attack Jerusalem
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and finally destroy the city
after a 30-month siege.
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And the Babylonians
are absolutely brutal.
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HUGO: They tear down the temple.
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They force Zedekiah to watch
every one of his sons murdered
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in front of him.
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They then blind him
so that this image
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is the last thing he sees.
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They take him to Babylon
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and they make him
a prisoner there
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until his death.
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LAURENCE: They also set
Jerusalem on fire,
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and everything burns,
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including, perhaps, the Ark.
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CARGILL: This isn’t just
a Bible story.
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We have archaeological evidence
that the Babylonians
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destroyed Jerusalem.
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Babylon loots the city
before it burns.
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And we have some records
of some of the things
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that they took, but something
that’s never mentioned
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in any of those records
is the Ark of the Covenant,
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something that would have
certainly been mentioned
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had they taken it.
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ROBERT CORNUKE:
So, a large amount of historians
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believe that the Ark
of the Covenant
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was in Jerusalem up to 587 BC.
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After that, it’s almost entirely
absent from the biblical text.
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NICOLA: Is that really it?
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Is this immensely powerful
object really gone
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after centuries of it being
this kind of center of worship?
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All of a sudden,
it just disappears?
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Nobody wants this to be
the end of the Ark.
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LAURENCE: According to some
ancient texts, it’s not.
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HUGO: There’s a reason
why so many people
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continue to believe
that the Ark is still out there,
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that it still can be found.
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There’s a reason
they’re still looking for it.
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It’s because there are stories
that the Ark
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narrowly escaped the temple’s
destruction in Jerusalem.
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LAURENCE: These stories come
from first and second-century
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Jewish sources, including one
called the Mishnah.
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CARGILL: And the Mishnah
is actually a collection
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of oral traditions that claim
to go all the way back
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to the destruction of the temple
at the hands of the Babylonians.
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NICOLA: In one such story,
one Rabbi Yehudah
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tells that before the Babylonian
destruction of the temple,
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an earlier king, Josiah,
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worried about the Ark,
and he hid it
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in anticipation
of the Babylonian destruction.
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LAURENCE: According to
Rabbi Yehudah,
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the Ark is hidden
with a chest of gold
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and a sacred walking stick
carried by Moses’ brother Aaron.
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CARGILL: King Josiah
also hides this chest
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that the Philistines
sent to the Israelites
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along with the Ark
of the Covenant
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in an effort to say,
"We’re sorry we stole
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the Ark of the Covenant
from you."
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ED: Rabbi Yehudah
offered the idea
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that the priests of Jerusalem
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prepared a secret
underground chamber
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beneath the Temple Mount,
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and that’s where
they hid the Ark.
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LAURENCE: The site
of Solomon’s original temple,
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the Temple Mount,
has long been a powerful
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and mysterious location.
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HUGO: There are at least
35 acres of ancient rooms
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and over 50 tunnels
that we know of
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under the Temple Mount.
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Some of these date all the way
back to King Solomon.
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CARGILL: Many Orthodox Jews
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believe that
the Ark of the Covenant
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was hidden in one
of these chambers,
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and that one day
it will be rediscovered.
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LAURENCE: It’s 1970,
and one theory
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about the Ark of the Covenant
is about to be tested
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as Israeli authorities
begin excavations
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close to Jerusalem’s
Western Wall
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near the site
of Solomon’s original temple.
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HUGO: It’s a major
archaeological dig.
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The Western Wall
runs along the west side
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of the Temple Mount,
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and beneath it are thousands
of years of construction,
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structures, tunnels, artifacts.
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This is a huge project,
planned to take
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a total of 18 years.
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LAURENCE: It’s a project that
also creates religious tension,
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as the site is now home
to the Dome of the Rock,
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an Islamic shrine
built in 691 AD.
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CARGILL:
Because the Temple Mount
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is under Islamic control,
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you also have the political
part of this,
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which is Israelis digging
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into the Islamic part
of the city.
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And any excavation
that cuts under the Temple Mount
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by the Israeli government
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would just be
a political timebomb.
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But if you believe, like many
Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem,
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that the Ark of the Covenant
is hidden in the Temple Mount,
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then this excavation project
is coming tantalizingly close.
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LAURENCE: One such believer
is Rabbi Yehuda Getz.
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CARGILL: Rabbi Getz
is not affiliated
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with this dig, right?
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This is an Israeli government
scientific excavation.
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But Rabbi Getz wants to find
the Ark of the Covenant.
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And in the middle
of that excavation,
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Rabbi Getz realizes
that they are close
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to where he believes the Ark
of the Covenant might be.
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So, Rabbi Getz
gathers up some workmen
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and begins a secret excavation
of his own.
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Getz chooses a spot
called the Warren Gate,
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which leads straight under
the Temple Mount.
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He’s had 11 years
to prepare for this moment.
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He’s reviewed
archaeological reports,
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ancient maps, he’s consulted
with experts,
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and he is convinced that this is
the closest possible location
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to the Holy of Holies chamber
that once held the Ark.
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ED: After some weeks of digging,
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Muslim worshippers
in the Al-Aqsa Mosque
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hear all kinds of banging
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going on under their floor.
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And so, the Muslim guards
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go down to see what’s going on,
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and they encounter a group
of Israeli young people
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smuggling dirt
out of these tunnels.
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A violent confrontation ensues
between these amateur excavators
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armed only with shovels,
hoes, and picks,
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and the guards rushing in
from all sides.
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Israeli police have to come
to quell
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a full-scale
underground riot.
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LAURENCE: In 1982
the government orders the tunnel
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to be resealed, and it remains
cemented shut to this day.
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ED: Rabbi Yehuda Getz claimed
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that at the end of the tunnel
that he dug,
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he could see something--
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something golden
and something glowing.
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Is it perhaps
the Ark of the Covenant?
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We may never know how close
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Rabbi Getz got
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to the Ark of the Covenant,
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but those tunnels
are still there.
247
00:11:53,755 --> 00:11:57,225
And maybe if some time
the political situation
248
00:11:57,300 --> 00:12:00,970
changes in Israel,
we might be able to access them,
249
00:12:01,095 --> 00:12:03,505
and perhaps reveal
that the rabbi
250
00:12:03,598 --> 00:12:05,808
was right all along.
251
00:12:05,934 --> 00:12:08,194
LAURENCE: Others believe that
whatever Rabbi Getz
252
00:12:08,269 --> 00:12:11,689
spotted in 1981,
it wasn’t the Ark,
253
00:12:11,773 --> 00:12:15,233
because that relic was moved
centuries earlier.
254
00:12:15,318 --> 00:12:17,028
After the Babylonians
255
00:12:17,111 --> 00:12:18,611
destroyed the first temple,
256
00:12:18,696 --> 00:12:20,776
let’s just assume that the Ark
257
00:12:20,865 --> 00:12:23,195
is safely underneath
the Temple Mount,
258
00:12:23,284 --> 00:12:26,044
and as years roll by,
other conquering people
259
00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,790
come and go, and the Ark
is still there.
260
00:12:30,041 --> 00:12:33,091
Eventually the Jews are allowed
to return to Jerusalem,
261
00:12:33,169 --> 00:12:36,799
and they build a second temple
on the same site.
262
00:12:36,881 --> 00:12:39,301
And then, a new sheriff
comes to town.
263
00:12:39,425 --> 00:12:42,135
In 63 BCE, the Roman Empire
264
00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:45,470
conquers the entire
Eastern Mediterranean region.
265
00:12:45,556 --> 00:12:48,426
And when the Jews
rebel against Rome,
266
00:12:48,518 --> 00:12:50,558
Rome decimates them.
267
00:12:50,645 --> 00:12:54,575
LAURENCE: The Romans destroy
the second temple in 70 AD,
268
00:12:54,649 --> 00:12:57,229
and they dismantle it
stone by stone,
269
00:12:57,318 --> 00:13:00,148
taking its treasures
back to Rome.
270
00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,280
Some believe
one of those treasures
271
00:13:02,365 --> 00:13:03,995
is the Ark.
272
00:13:08,913 --> 00:13:11,423
CARGILL: There are many artworks
and writings from the Romans
273
00:13:11,499 --> 00:13:13,829
describing the many spoils
from the Jewish War.
274
00:13:13,918 --> 00:13:17,918
The Ark of the Covenant
is not shown among any of them.
275
00:13:18,006 --> 00:13:19,966
ED: But did the Romans know
that they captured the Ark,
276
00:13:20,049 --> 00:13:21,339
if they captured the Ark?
277
00:13:21,426 --> 00:13:24,426
Well, they didn’t know what
they captured in the temple.
278
00:13:24,512 --> 00:13:27,012
They called the Menorah,
the great candelabrum
279
00:13:27,140 --> 00:13:28,770
that the Jews had built
for the temple,
280
00:13:28,850 --> 00:13:30,430
they just call it a candlestick.
281
00:13:30,518 --> 00:13:33,728
With or without the Ark,
the temple’s spoils
282
00:13:33,855 --> 00:13:36,275
are paraded around
the city of Rome
283
00:13:36,357 --> 00:13:38,687
before they are put on display
284
00:13:38,818 --> 00:13:40,608
in the ironically-named
Temple of Peace
285
00:13:40,695 --> 00:13:42,995
that faces the Coliseum,
286
00:13:43,072 --> 00:13:45,202
which is at that time
being built,
287
00:13:45,283 --> 00:13:49,123
and largely funded by spoils
from the Jewish War.
288
00:13:49,203 --> 00:13:51,713
LAURENCE: The Temple of Peace
stands in Rome
289
00:13:51,789 --> 00:13:53,919
for nearly 500 years.
290
00:13:54,042 --> 00:13:56,292
After that,
if the Ark is there,
291
00:13:56,377 --> 00:13:58,707
we don’t know where it goes.
292
00:13:58,838 --> 00:14:04,128
Rome is invaded by barbarians
and falls in the year 476 AD.
293
00:14:05,303 --> 00:14:07,183
CORNUKE: For hundreds of years,
it seems that the Ark
294
00:14:07,263 --> 00:14:09,223
has just disappeared,
295
00:14:09,307 --> 00:14:13,227
until the 12th century,
when it is mentioned in a book.
296
00:14:13,311 --> 00:14:15,481
It’s supposedly still in Rome,
297
00:14:15,563 --> 00:14:17,983
but it is not at
the Temple of Peace.
298
00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:19,146
CARGILL: The book is called
299
00:14:19,233 --> 00:14:21,493
the "Descriptio Lateranensis
Ecclesiae."
300
00:14:21,569 --> 00:14:23,489
It’s written by John the Deacon,
301
00:14:23,571 --> 00:14:26,491
and he works at
the Lateran Basilica in Rome.
302
00:14:26,574 --> 00:14:30,954
And he claims that this is where
the Ark of the Covenant
303
00:14:31,079 --> 00:14:33,159
is being kept.
304
00:14:33,247 --> 00:14:37,247
It’s the oldest church in Rome,
founded in the year 324 AD
305
00:14:37,377 --> 00:14:40,127
while the Temple of Peace
is still standing,
306
00:14:40,254 --> 00:14:42,884
and it’s only located
a half a mile away.
307
00:14:42,965 --> 00:14:45,755
Some theorists believe
that after Constantine
308
00:14:45,885 --> 00:14:48,345
legalizes Christianity
in the Roman Empire
309
00:14:48,429 --> 00:14:52,019
in the year 312,
this church is built right away
310
00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:54,690
to house the Christian relics
of Rome.
311
00:14:54,769 --> 00:14:58,559
Around 1160, this is exactly
what John the Deacon writes.
312
00:14:58,648 --> 00:15:00,568
He says that
the Ark of the Covenant
313
00:15:00,650 --> 00:15:02,230
and many other temple treasures
314
00:15:02,318 --> 00:15:06,318
are stored in the Lateran Church
beneath the altar.
315
00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:08,027
LAURENCE:
Six-hundred years later,
316
00:15:08,116 --> 00:15:11,536
the Ark is mentioned again
in papal records.
317
00:15:11,619 --> 00:15:14,119
In 1745, the pope at the time,
318
00:15:14,205 --> 00:15:16,835
Benedict XIV,
has three sacred objects
319
00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:19,458
moved from the Lateran
Treasury--
320
00:15:19,585 --> 00:15:24,295
the Staff of Moses,
there’s Aaron’s Rod,
321
00:15:24,424 --> 00:15:27,224
and lastly, there’s the Ark
of the Covenant.
322
00:15:27,301 --> 00:15:30,391
HUGO: Now, this is the last
mention of the Ark in Rome.
323
00:15:30,471 --> 00:15:32,511
But some theorists believe
that the Ark
324
00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,520
has remained in the possession
of the popes ever since,
325
00:15:35,643 --> 00:15:38,233
and they think it’s in
the Vatican Secret Archives.
326
00:15:42,316 --> 00:15:44,486
LAURENCE: Hidden beneath
St. Peter’s Square,
327
00:15:44,610 --> 00:15:48,530
the archives have an estimated
53 miles of shelves
328
00:15:48,656 --> 00:15:51,946
holding thousands of years’
worth of church documents
329
00:15:52,034 --> 00:15:53,744
and artifacts.
330
00:15:53,828 --> 00:15:56,578
They have the correspondence
of Martin Luther.
331
00:15:56,664 --> 00:16:00,754
They have Henry VIII’s request
for a marriage annulment.
332
00:16:00,835 --> 00:16:03,635
Who knows what else is in
the Vatican Archives?
333
00:16:03,713 --> 00:16:06,013
Could the Ark of the Covenant
be down there?
334
00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:07,550
CARGILL:
But let’s be very clear.
335
00:16:07,675 --> 00:16:11,715
No pope, no church official
has ever claimed
336
00:16:11,846 --> 00:16:15,596
that the Vatican has possession
of the Ark of the Covenant.
337
00:16:19,687 --> 00:16:22,307
LAURENCE: Axum, capital of
an ancient African kingdom
338
00:16:22,398 --> 00:16:25,278
known as one of the world’s
four great powers
339
00:16:25,359 --> 00:16:28,359
in the first century BC.
340
00:16:28,488 --> 00:16:32,618
Today, it’s the holiest city in
the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
341
00:16:32,700 --> 00:16:35,660
This religion’s
36 million followers
342
00:16:35,745 --> 00:16:39,675
have no doubt where
the Ark of the Covenant rests.
343
00:16:39,749 --> 00:16:41,709
They know it’s here.
344
00:16:43,085 --> 00:16:44,705
CARGILL:
What the Ethiopians say,
345
00:16:44,837 --> 00:16:47,207
according to their religion,
is that these Ark hunters
346
00:16:47,298 --> 00:16:48,918
focused on what happened
347
00:16:49,050 --> 00:16:50,630
following the destruction
348
00:16:50,718 --> 00:16:54,138
of Jerusalem in 587 BC
349
00:16:54,222 --> 00:16:57,062
are all on a wild goose chase.
350
00:16:57,141 --> 00:16:58,981
NICOLA: The Ethiopians believe
351
00:16:59,060 --> 00:17:02,150
that actually the Ark
left Jerusalem
352
00:17:02,230 --> 00:17:04,820
about 350 years earlier than
353
00:17:04,899 --> 00:17:06,979
the destruction of the temple.
354
00:17:07,068 --> 00:17:09,148
CARGILL: And it wasn’t lost
in a war,
355
00:17:09,237 --> 00:17:10,817
and it wasn’t destroyed.
356
00:17:10,905 --> 00:17:13,285
It was simply picked up
and carried off.
357
00:17:13,407 --> 00:17:16,327
And it ends up being carried
all the way to Ethiopia,
358
00:17:16,410 --> 00:17:18,830
where it remains to this day.
359
00:17:18,913 --> 00:17:20,253
LAURENCE: According to
this tradition,
360
00:17:20,331 --> 00:17:24,331
the Ark leaves Jerusalem during
the reign of King Solomon.
361
00:17:24,418 --> 00:17:26,208
In the Bible’s
first Book of Kings
362
00:17:26,295 --> 00:17:27,665
and second Chronicles,
363
00:17:27,755 --> 00:17:30,295
there’s a story of King Solomon
364
00:17:30,424 --> 00:17:33,684
who greets in his kingdom
a queen.
365
00:17:33,761 --> 00:17:35,511
While she’s known
as the Queen of Sheba,
366
00:17:35,596 --> 00:17:37,716
and her origins
were actually unknown,
367
00:17:37,807 --> 00:17:40,137
modern-day historians
associate her
368
00:17:40,268 --> 00:17:41,768
with the land of Ethiopia.
369
00:17:42,979 --> 00:17:44,689
ED: In the Bible,
the Queen of Sheba
370
00:17:44,772 --> 00:17:47,782
comes to Jerusalem
to test the wisdom
371
00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:49,940
of the mighty King Solomon.
372
00:17:50,027 --> 00:17:52,737
She brings him gold
and all kinds of presents,
373
00:17:52,822 --> 00:17:55,572
and having discovered that
he is everything she’s heard,
374
00:17:55,658 --> 00:17:58,698
the Queen of Sheba returns
to her kingdom in Africa.
375
00:17:58,786 --> 00:18:03,746
But the Ethiopian texts
like to elaborate on this story,
376
00:18:03,833 --> 00:18:06,543
that the Queen of Sheba
comes to visit Solomon,
377
00:18:06,627 --> 00:18:08,877
and by the time she returns,
378
00:18:08,963 --> 00:18:11,633
she’s pregnant
with Solomon’s baby.
379
00:18:11,757 --> 00:18:15,427
And she gives birth to a son
and names him Menelik.
380
00:18:17,513 --> 00:18:20,063
NICOLA: Menelik is raised
in Ethiopia,
381
00:18:20,141 --> 00:18:23,021
and when he comes of age,
his mother, the Queen of Sheba,
382
00:18:23,144 --> 00:18:25,734
decides it’s time for him
to go to Jerusalem
383
00:18:25,813 --> 00:18:28,573
and meet King Solomon,
his biological father.
384
00:18:28,649 --> 00:18:30,479
So, they meet
for the first time,
385
00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:33,150
and Solomon is really
favorably impressed
386
00:18:33,237 --> 00:18:34,317
with this young man.
387
00:18:34,405 --> 00:18:37,835
He asks Menelik to stay
and to become his heir.
388
00:18:37,950 --> 00:18:40,990
LAURENCE: Menelik declines,
returning to Ethiopia
389
00:18:41,078 --> 00:18:42,868
as his mother’s heir.
390
00:18:42,997 --> 00:18:46,077
When Menelik
returns to Ethiopia,
391
00:18:46,167 --> 00:18:50,917
he’s shocked to discover
that along with his supplies,
392
00:18:51,005 --> 00:18:53,425
he finds
the Ark of the Covenant.
393
00:18:53,507 --> 00:18:55,927
Now, Ethiopian accounts vary
394
00:18:56,010 --> 00:18:58,800
as to whether this was a gift
from Solomon,
395
00:18:58,888 --> 00:19:02,178
or whether someone
in his entourage stole it.
396
00:19:02,308 --> 00:19:06,188
But the Ark of the Covenant
is there in Ethiopia,
397
00:19:06,312 --> 00:19:10,022
and they believe the Ark
is rightfully theirs.
398
00:19:10,107 --> 00:19:12,687
Unlike, say, the story
of the Philistines
399
00:19:12,777 --> 00:19:15,027
taking the Ark for themselves,
400
00:19:15,112 --> 00:19:18,072
nothing bad happens
to these Ethiopians
401
00:19:18,199 --> 00:19:19,949
for having
the Ark of the Covenant there.
402
00:19:20,034 --> 00:19:22,454
There’s no plagues,
there’s no tumors,
403
00:19:22,536 --> 00:19:25,156
there’s no walls collapsing,
404
00:19:25,247 --> 00:19:27,957
and no instant death
for the people who gaze upon it.
405
00:19:28,042 --> 00:19:30,962
LAURENCE: Instead,
Menelik’s kingdom thrives.
406
00:19:31,045 --> 00:19:32,675
CARGILL: Menelik’s family line,
407
00:19:32,755 --> 00:19:35,225
which claims to be
the Solomonic Dynasty,
408
00:19:35,341 --> 00:19:38,091
flourishes for 2,000 years.
409
00:19:38,219 --> 00:19:41,139
And to this day,
the church that they founded
410
00:19:41,222 --> 00:19:44,142
claims to possess
the Ark of the Covenant.
411
00:19:44,225 --> 00:19:46,315
Every aspect
of Ethiopian Orthodoxy
412
00:19:46,394 --> 00:19:48,314
has the Ark at its core.
413
00:19:48,396 --> 00:19:50,976
There are tens of thousands
of Ethiopian Orthodox churches
414
00:19:51,065 --> 00:19:54,615
in the world, and every one
of them, to be consecrated,
415
00:19:54,735 --> 00:19:57,315
must have a replica
Ark of the Covenant
416
00:19:57,405 --> 00:20:01,585
inside its Holy of Holies--
its inner sanctum chamber.
417
00:20:01,701 --> 00:20:06,001
On special occasions,
the Ark of the Covenant replica
418
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:09,040
can be brought out
and paraded around.
419
00:20:09,125 --> 00:20:12,715
But even it remains covered,
because even these replicas
420
00:20:12,795 --> 00:20:15,515
are thought to have
tremendous power.
421
00:20:15,589 --> 00:20:17,339
LAURENCE:
But with so many replicas,
422
00:20:17,425 --> 00:20:19,895
where is the real Ark?
423
00:20:19,969 --> 00:20:23,509
In Axum, a town 20 miles
from the Eritrean border,
424
00:20:23,597 --> 00:20:26,727
is the Cathedral
of Our Lady Mary of Zion.
425
00:20:26,809 --> 00:20:29,519
The cathedral is part
of a complex of buildings
426
00:20:29,603 --> 00:20:33,023
that represent the holiest place
on Earth
427
00:20:33,107 --> 00:20:35,277
for Ethiopian
Orthodox Christians.
428
00:20:35,401 --> 00:20:38,531
It’s the equivalent
of the Roman Catholic Vatican.
429
00:20:38,612 --> 00:20:41,282
The new cathedral building
was constructed in the 1950s
430
00:20:41,365 --> 00:20:44,275
by the Emperor Haile Selassie.
431
00:20:44,410 --> 00:20:48,410
It’s adjacent to the old church
built in the 1500s
432
00:20:48,497 --> 00:20:50,417
on a site that had been in use
433
00:20:50,499 --> 00:20:51,789
since the 4th century.
434
00:20:51,876 --> 00:20:54,956
So, in between two buildings,
there’s another smaller one,
435
00:20:55,045 --> 00:20:56,915
and the small one is the one
that’s really important,
436
00:20:57,006 --> 00:20:58,876
and it’s known as
the Chapel of the Tablet.
437
00:20:58,966 --> 00:21:01,216
And here is where
the Ethiopians believe
438
00:21:01,302 --> 00:21:03,182
that the Ark of the Covenant
is kept.
439
00:21:03,304 --> 00:21:07,314
CARGILL: The Chapel
of the Tablet was built in 1965
440
00:21:07,433 --> 00:21:11,403
because, according to legend,
of a divine heat
441
00:21:11,479 --> 00:21:13,729
that was emanating from the Ark
442
00:21:13,814 --> 00:21:17,734
that was so hot,
it actually cracked the stones
443
00:21:17,818 --> 00:21:21,108
of the old church
that sat next door.
444
00:21:21,197 --> 00:21:24,407
So, the Chapel of the Tablet
is a more fortified home
445
00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:27,542
for the safekeeping
for the Ark of the Covenant.
446
00:21:27,661 --> 00:21:30,751
NICOLA: It’s one of the most
heavily secured chapels
447
00:21:30,831 --> 00:21:33,171
that you would ever come across.
448
00:21:33,292 --> 00:21:35,422
There is only one person
who can actually enter
449
00:21:35,503 --> 00:21:37,133
into that building,
and he’s known
450
00:21:37,213 --> 00:21:38,713
as the Guardian Monk.
451
00:21:38,839 --> 00:21:40,879
The Guardian Monk
serves for life.
452
00:21:41,008 --> 00:21:45,348
He needs to be a virgin,
he takes an oath of celibacy.
453
00:21:45,429 --> 00:21:47,679
And he spends his entire life
454
00:21:47,765 --> 00:21:49,645
in service to
the Ark of the Covenant,
455
00:21:49,725 --> 00:21:53,015
making prayers and offering up
incense before it.
456
00:21:53,145 --> 00:21:54,515
CARGILL: He’s not allowed
to stray
457
00:21:54,647 --> 00:21:56,517
more than 10 feet
from the building
458
00:21:56,607 --> 00:21:58,607
in which the Ark sits.
459
00:21:58,692 --> 00:22:00,692
He’s essentially bound to it,
460
00:22:00,778 --> 00:22:03,658
a life in service
to this holy relic.
461
00:22:03,739 --> 00:22:05,779
LAURENCE:
Before a Guardian Monk dies,
462
00:22:05,866 --> 00:22:07,776
he appoints his own successor.
463
00:22:07,868 --> 00:22:13,118
It’s a cycle that has continued
unbroken for generations.
464
00:22:13,207 --> 00:22:15,747
Of course, some are suspicious
that all of the secrecy
465
00:22:15,876 --> 00:22:16,876
that surrounds the site
466
00:22:17,002 --> 00:22:19,342
means precisely
that the Ark isn’t there.
467
00:22:19,421 --> 00:22:23,341
It could be that this Ark
is simply another replica.
468
00:22:23,425 --> 00:22:25,585
But on the rare occasions
when these Guardian Monks
469
00:22:25,719 --> 00:22:29,139
are interviewed, they state
with absolute certainty
470
00:22:29,223 --> 00:22:31,433
that this is
the Ark of the Covenant.
471
00:22:31,559 --> 00:22:34,939
They believe it, as do
tens of millions of followers
472
00:22:35,062 --> 00:22:37,362
of Ethiopian Orthodoxy
worldwide.
473
00:22:37,439 --> 00:22:40,029
NICOLA: I think it’s safe to say
that there is something
474
00:22:40,109 --> 00:22:42,819
very precious in this chapel.
475
00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:45,913
Whether that is actually
the Ark of the Covenant
476
00:22:45,990 --> 00:22:48,490
is ultimately impossible to say.
477
00:22:48,576 --> 00:22:53,076
LAURENCE: But there may be
an opportunity to find out soon.
478
00:22:53,205 --> 00:22:55,415
HUGO: A new Chapel of the Tablet
is currently being built
479
00:22:55,499 --> 00:22:57,329
behind the present one.
480
00:22:57,418 --> 00:22:59,958
It’s slightly larger,
it has thicker walls.
481
00:23:00,087 --> 00:23:03,297
It will also have an ornate
silver dome on the top.
482
00:23:03,424 --> 00:23:05,514
As soon as this new chapel
is completed,
483
00:23:05,593 --> 00:23:08,053
whatever object
is inside the current chapel
484
00:23:08,137 --> 00:23:09,717
will have to be brought out.
485
00:23:09,805 --> 00:23:13,265
Undoubtedly, they’ll do it
as quickly as possible
486
00:23:13,392 --> 00:23:16,022
under as much secrecy
as possible.
487
00:23:16,103 --> 00:23:17,023
NICOLA:
If it’s the Ark of the Covenant,
488
00:23:17,104 --> 00:23:19,444
maybe we’ll finally
get a glimpse of it,
489
00:23:19,565 --> 00:23:21,275
and with it, some answers.
490
00:23:25,487 --> 00:23:27,607
For centuries,
researchers try and fail
491
00:23:27,698 --> 00:23:29,868
to track the Ark
of the Covenant.
492
00:23:29,950 --> 00:23:32,700
But in the 1880s,
a British group
493
00:23:32,786 --> 00:23:36,456
takes a different approach,
leading to a shocking new theory
494
00:23:36,540 --> 00:23:39,960
that places the Ark
somewhere no one expected.
495
00:23:41,295 --> 00:23:43,055
HUGO: Starting around 1872,
496
00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:44,880
some people who call themselves
497
00:23:44,965 --> 00:23:46,505
the British Israelites
498
00:23:46,634 --> 00:23:47,974
begin organizing,
499
00:23:48,052 --> 00:23:50,142
first in England,
then in other parts
500
00:23:50,220 --> 00:23:51,850
of the British Empire,
and eventually
501
00:23:51,972 --> 00:23:53,562
also in the United States.
502
00:23:53,641 --> 00:23:55,891
NICOLA: They believe
that they were descended
503
00:23:55,976 --> 00:23:57,936
from the ancient Israelites,
504
00:23:58,020 --> 00:23:59,600
the same people who built
the Ark,
505
00:23:59,688 --> 00:24:01,688
lived in Jerusalem,
and were exiled
506
00:24:01,815 --> 00:24:03,565
after the Babylonian
destruction.
507
00:24:03,651 --> 00:24:06,361
LAURENCE: Led by three
British nationalists,
508
00:24:06,487 --> 00:24:09,697
the group begins researching
a possible connection
509
00:24:09,823 --> 00:24:14,793
between the ancient Israelites
and the British Anglo-Saxons.
510
00:24:14,870 --> 00:24:18,000
I think it’s a self-serving
effort.
511
00:24:18,123 --> 00:24:21,923
"If we can prove our ethnic
or social group
512
00:24:22,002 --> 00:24:24,882
"is descended from
God’s chosen people,
513
00:24:25,005 --> 00:24:28,545
then that makes us
that much more superior."
514
00:24:28,676 --> 00:24:33,096
But sure enough, they believe
they found a connection.
515
00:24:33,180 --> 00:24:37,020
The oldest records and texts
about the Israelites
516
00:24:37,101 --> 00:24:39,191
settling in the Promised Land
517
00:24:39,311 --> 00:24:42,811
said that they were divided
into 12 different tribes.
518
00:24:44,024 --> 00:24:47,364
The number 12 may or may not
be historically accurate,
519
00:24:47,444 --> 00:24:50,284
but we do know that
by the time that the Romans
520
00:24:50,364 --> 00:24:52,954
had occupied that territory,
521
00:24:53,033 --> 00:24:56,203
after the Jewish War,
around the year 70,
522
00:24:56,328 --> 00:24:58,868
the Roman-Jewish
historian Josephus
523
00:24:58,998 --> 00:25:02,958
says at that point,
only two tribes still remained.
524
00:25:03,043 --> 00:25:05,633
The other 10 are in dispersion.
525
00:25:05,713 --> 00:25:08,473
LAURENCE: According to
the British Israelites,
526
00:25:08,549 --> 00:25:11,129
these 10 lost tribes of Israel
527
00:25:11,218 --> 00:25:13,138
migrated to Europe.
528
00:25:13,220 --> 00:25:15,350
ED: According to this theory,
they called themselves
529
00:25:15,431 --> 00:25:18,641
Isaac’s Sons,
and from "Isaac’s Sons,"
530
00:25:18,726 --> 00:25:20,976
we derive the word "Saxons."
531
00:25:21,061 --> 00:25:23,231
CARGILL: We know that Saxons
definitely settled
532
00:25:23,355 --> 00:25:26,225
in the British Isles
in around the mid-5th century.
533
00:25:26,358 --> 00:25:28,648
Saxon presence there
is not disputed.
534
00:25:28,736 --> 00:25:31,606
In fact, we owe a large chunk
of the English language
535
00:25:31,739 --> 00:25:33,279
to the Saxons.
536
00:25:33,407 --> 00:25:35,777
ED: But did they come
all the way from Jerusalem,
537
00:25:35,909 --> 00:25:38,659
and did they bring with them
the Ark of the Covenant?
538
00:25:38,746 --> 00:25:41,496
If that’s true,
well, where is it?
539
00:25:41,582 --> 00:25:44,252
NICOLA: Because they believe
that the lost tribes
540
00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:46,876
ended up in Britain,
the British Israelites
541
00:25:46,962 --> 00:25:49,512
start combing through
history books
542
00:25:49,590 --> 00:25:52,380
and mythological materials
looking for clues.
543
00:25:52,468 --> 00:25:56,848
And they find a book of ancient
Irish history, mythology.
544
00:25:56,930 --> 00:25:59,270
It’s called
the "Lebor Gabala Erenn."
545
00:25:59,349 --> 00:26:01,769
To them, this book
is the missing link
546
00:26:01,852 --> 00:26:03,272
that connects them to the Ark.
547
00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:05,515
LAURENCE:
The "Lebor Gabala Erenn"
548
00:26:05,606 --> 00:26:09,526
describes a Far East princess
named Tea Tephi
549
00:26:09,610 --> 00:26:12,860
who comes to Ireland
and marries King Erimon.
550
00:26:12,946 --> 00:26:15,366
ED: Traveling with
Princess Tea Tephi
551
00:26:15,449 --> 00:26:17,409
are an old white-haired man
552
00:26:17,493 --> 00:26:20,123
and his servant
whose name is Brach.
553
00:26:20,204 --> 00:26:22,374
The British Israelites
believe that this old man
554
00:26:22,456 --> 00:26:25,126
was Jeremiah accompanied by
his servant Baruch,
555
00:26:25,250 --> 00:26:27,590
his scribe
who wrote down his story.
556
00:26:27,669 --> 00:26:29,629
In the Book of Second Maccabees,
557
00:26:29,713 --> 00:26:31,763
it says that
the Prophet Jeremiah
558
00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:35,590
escaped the Babylonian
destruction of Jerusalem,
559
00:26:35,677 --> 00:26:38,137
and took with him
the Ark of the Covenant
560
00:26:38,222 --> 00:26:40,722
and a couple of other
temple vessels.
561
00:26:40,808 --> 00:26:42,888
The British Israelites believe
562
00:26:42,976 --> 00:26:44,726
that Prophet Jeremiah
brought the Ark of the Covenant
563
00:26:44,812 --> 00:26:47,272
with Tea Tephi to Ireland.
564
00:26:49,316 --> 00:26:51,066
LAURENCE:
The British Israelites
565
00:26:51,151 --> 00:26:54,991
search the Bible for clues
to Tea Tephi’s identity.
566
00:26:55,114 --> 00:26:57,914
When they destroy Jerusalem,
the Babylonians
567
00:26:57,991 --> 00:27:01,411
capture King Zedekiah
and murder his sons.
568
00:27:01,495 --> 00:27:03,545
But according to
the Book of Jeremiah,
569
00:27:03,664 --> 00:27:05,214
his daughter is spared.
570
00:27:05,332 --> 00:27:07,752
NICOLA: This daughter,
who’s named Tamar,
571
00:27:07,835 --> 00:27:10,885
the British Israelites
believe is actually Tea.
572
00:27:11,004 --> 00:27:12,964
So, as the theory goes,
573
00:27:13,048 --> 00:27:15,878
this entourage of people
is the same group
574
00:27:16,009 --> 00:27:19,599
who arrive with all
the stuff together in Ireland,
575
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:21,350
but they have brought
the Ark of the Covenant.
576
00:27:21,431 --> 00:27:26,901
Tamar/Tea marries,
becomes a queen of Ireland,
577
00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:29,520
and when she dies, she’s buried
along with the Ark
578
00:27:29,648 --> 00:27:33,778
in an ancient sacred center
that was her kingdom,
579
00:27:33,861 --> 00:27:36,201
now known as the Hill of Tara.
580
00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,370
LAURENCE: The Hill of Tara
is one of Ireland’s
581
00:27:38,490 --> 00:27:40,740
most precious
national monuments.
582
00:27:40,868 --> 00:27:42,698
HUGO: It’s a place
that rivals Stonehenge
583
00:27:42,786 --> 00:27:46,116
as one of many important
Neolithic sites
584
00:27:46,206 --> 00:27:47,956
in the British Empire.
585
00:27:48,041 --> 00:27:50,751
It’s the legendary seat
of the ancient Irish monarchs,
586
00:27:50,878 --> 00:27:53,168
a place that humans have
associated with great power
587
00:27:53,255 --> 00:27:54,675
for thousands of years.
588
00:27:54,756 --> 00:27:56,966
LAURENCE: Archaeologists at Tara
589
00:27:57,050 --> 00:27:59,140
have found large
earthen structures,
590
00:27:59,219 --> 00:28:01,469
ceremonial stone monuments,
591
00:28:01,555 --> 00:28:03,815
and hundreds
of ancient burials.
592
00:28:03,891 --> 00:28:06,891
HUGO: Tea, Tamar, Tara--
some people think that the site
593
00:28:06,977 --> 00:28:09,937
is named for the queen
who brought the Ark there.
594
00:28:10,063 --> 00:28:12,733
Once the British Israelites
develop their theory,
595
00:28:12,816 --> 00:28:14,936
they want to excavate the site,
596
00:28:15,068 --> 00:28:17,948
convinced that they’re going
to find the Ark there.
597
00:28:18,071 --> 00:28:21,621
In 1899, British Israelite
archaeologist Walton Adams
598
00:28:21,742 --> 00:28:24,742
and Charles Groom
come to the site of Tara.
599
00:28:24,870 --> 00:28:27,160
The group convinces the owner
of the land,
600
00:28:27,247 --> 00:28:30,827
Gustavus Briscoe, to let them
begin digging for the Ark.
601
00:28:30,918 --> 00:28:32,338
CARGILL: So, they get to work,
602
00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:34,839
and they’re excavating
for months and months,
603
00:28:34,922 --> 00:28:36,882
and nobody’s really
paying attention to them.
604
00:28:36,965 --> 00:28:39,585
But eventually
some Irish nationalists
605
00:28:39,676 --> 00:28:43,006
catch wind of what’s going on,
and they are furious.
606
00:28:43,096 --> 00:28:45,556
HUGO: The British Israelites
only care about one thing--
607
00:28:45,641 --> 00:28:47,811
the Ark--
and they’re not very careful
608
00:28:47,935 --> 00:28:49,605
about how they do
their business.
609
00:28:49,686 --> 00:28:52,436
So, they’re causing
untold destruction
610
00:28:52,522 --> 00:28:54,772
to a major cultural icon.
611
00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:56,990
LAURENCE: Nearby landowner,
Sir John Dillon,
612
00:28:57,110 --> 00:29:00,200
keeps a detailed account
of the excavation.
613
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:04,240
Sir John Dillon
sees them taking out bones,
614
00:29:04,326 --> 00:29:07,906
Roman coins, and they’re just
discarding it like it’s rubbish.
615
00:29:07,996 --> 00:29:10,786
And he’s mortified
by what they’re doing.
616
00:29:10,916 --> 00:29:12,496
NICOLA:
If this is allowed to continue,
617
00:29:12,626 --> 00:29:15,666
they are going to succeed
in laying waste
618
00:29:15,796 --> 00:29:19,716
to probably Ireland’s
most significant sacred site.
619
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:22,180
LAURENCE: By January of 1901,
620
00:29:22,302 --> 00:29:24,892
a full-scale media campaign
is launched
621
00:29:24,972 --> 00:29:27,392
to try and halt the digging.
622
00:29:27,474 --> 00:29:29,894
CARGILL: National heroes
like the writers
623
00:29:29,977 --> 00:29:34,227
George Moore and W.B. Yeats
join in the chorus to save Tara,
624
00:29:34,314 --> 00:29:36,364
and eventually they succeed.
625
00:29:36,483 --> 00:29:40,573
These British Israelites
abandon their quest for the Ark,
626
00:29:40,654 --> 00:29:44,244
and the site is now owned
by the Irish government,
627
00:29:44,324 --> 00:29:47,584
which is never going to let them
search for the Ark again.
628
00:29:47,661 --> 00:29:49,411
NICOLA:
It’s an incredible story.
629
00:29:49,496 --> 00:29:52,996
They’re combining the Bible
with Irish mythology
630
00:29:53,083 --> 00:29:55,423
to place the Ark
of the Covenant,
631
00:29:55,502 --> 00:29:58,342
one of the most powerful
objects in the world,
632
00:29:58,422 --> 00:30:02,592
in one of the most
powerful places in the world.
633
00:30:02,676 --> 00:30:05,006
But without any kind of proof,
it’s just that-- a story.
634
00:30:08,849 --> 00:30:10,979
LAURENCE: Over the years,
theories have placed
635
00:30:11,059 --> 00:30:12,939
the powerful Ark of the Covenant
636
00:30:13,020 --> 00:30:15,940
everywhere from Ethiopia
to Ireland.
637
00:30:16,023 --> 00:30:18,483
But historians
remain skeptical
638
00:30:18,567 --> 00:30:21,397
that it could have traveled
so far from Jerusalem.
639
00:30:21,528 --> 00:30:23,278
NICOLA: If the Ark existed
640
00:30:23,363 --> 00:30:24,783
and survives, it’s probably
641
00:30:24,865 --> 00:30:26,285
somewhere in the Middle East.
642
00:30:26,366 --> 00:30:28,276
With the Babylonians closing in
643
00:30:28,368 --> 00:30:30,158
around the destruction
of the temple,
644
00:30:30,245 --> 00:30:33,115
the Jews would not
have had very much time.
645
00:30:33,206 --> 00:30:34,536
And so, the best thing to do
646
00:30:34,624 --> 00:30:36,464
would just to have been
to hide it.
647
00:30:36,543 --> 00:30:38,043
CARGILL: It’s not like
they can take it
648
00:30:38,170 --> 00:30:39,960
on a long voyage.
649
00:30:40,047 --> 00:30:41,127
They would have probably had
650
00:30:41,214 --> 00:30:42,634
to carry it on foot.
651
00:30:42,716 --> 00:30:45,006
It probably didn’t travel
very far.
652
00:30:45,093 --> 00:30:48,223
So, you’re definitely left
with a limited radius
653
00:30:48,305 --> 00:30:50,475
in which to look.
654
00:30:50,557 --> 00:30:52,977
NICOLA: Could they even have
gotten the Ark out of Jerusalem?
655
00:30:53,060 --> 00:30:56,310
Some theorists note that
before the Babylonians
656
00:30:56,396 --> 00:30:58,226
actually laid siege to the city,
657
00:30:58,357 --> 00:31:00,277
they actually surrounded it
for a couple of years,
658
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:01,820
and it would have been
impossible
659
00:31:01,902 --> 00:31:04,202
to have smuggled
anything in or out.
660
00:31:04,279 --> 00:31:07,409
LAURENCE: But in 2007,
a new discovery
661
00:31:07,532 --> 00:31:09,492
challenges that thinking.
662
00:31:09,576 --> 00:31:10,986
CARGILL: A team
of archaeologists,
663
00:31:11,078 --> 00:31:12,868
Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron,
664
00:31:12,954 --> 00:31:16,004
discovered what they call
an escape hatch,
665
00:31:16,083 --> 00:31:18,673
a tunnel running
from the Temple Mount
666
00:31:18,752 --> 00:31:21,502
all the way down
outside of the city.
667
00:31:21,588 --> 00:31:24,878
NICOLA: The tunnel has walls
that are up to 10 feet tall.
668
00:31:24,966 --> 00:31:27,796
That’s plenty of space
for a group of priests
669
00:31:27,928 --> 00:31:30,468
to have smuggled out
considerable numbers of objects,
670
00:31:30,597 --> 00:31:32,767
including
the Ark of the Covenant.
671
00:31:33,892 --> 00:31:36,352
CARGILL: This tunnel leads
under the city walls
672
00:31:36,436 --> 00:31:38,096
to the Kidron Valley.
673
00:31:38,230 --> 00:31:41,190
So now, we have
a possible escape route
674
00:31:41,274 --> 00:31:42,824
for the Ark of the Covenant.
675
00:31:42,943 --> 00:31:44,783
ED: The discovery
of this tunnel
676
00:31:44,903 --> 00:31:47,113
connects a lot
of the biblical dots
677
00:31:47,197 --> 00:31:49,117
of the story of the Ark.
678
00:31:49,241 --> 00:31:52,701
The Book of Second Maccabees
suggests that Jeremiah,
679
00:31:52,786 --> 00:31:55,536
the prophet,
takes the Ark of the Covenant
680
00:31:55,622 --> 00:31:57,752
and the temple treasures
out of the city.
681
00:31:57,833 --> 00:31:59,633
HUGO: So, here’s the big
question.
682
00:31:59,751 --> 00:32:01,041
If this tunnel
683
00:32:01,128 --> 00:32:02,708
is the Ark’s escape path
684
00:32:02,796 --> 00:32:04,206
leading to the Kidron River,
685
00:32:04,297 --> 00:32:06,257
where does it go from there?
686
00:32:06,341 --> 00:32:09,141
LAURENCE: According to
Ark hunter Jim Barfield,
687
00:32:09,219 --> 00:32:11,719
there’s only one
possible answer.
688
00:32:11,805 --> 00:32:14,065
JIM: The Kidron River
heads east,
689
00:32:14,141 --> 00:32:17,101
and then it branches off
into the Qumran River,
690
00:32:17,185 --> 00:32:19,225
which leads past
an ancient settlement
691
00:32:19,312 --> 00:32:21,232
also called Qumran.
692
00:32:21,314 --> 00:32:23,074
Qumran is famous
because that’s where
693
00:32:23,150 --> 00:32:24,400
the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
694
00:32:24,484 --> 00:32:27,154
I’ve been studying Qumran
for 25 years,
695
00:32:27,279 --> 00:32:29,199
and I believe that
it’s the resting place
696
00:32:29,322 --> 00:32:31,322
of the Ark of the Covenant
as well.
697
00:32:34,828 --> 00:32:38,328
LAURENCE: The discovery of the
Dead Sea Scrolls here in 1947
698
00:32:38,457 --> 00:32:41,707
stunned both the scientific
and religious communities.
699
00:32:41,835 --> 00:32:44,965
HUGO: This is one of the biggest
archaeological finds in history.
700
00:32:45,046 --> 00:32:51,136
981 manuscripts,
some over 2,500 years old,
701
00:32:51,219 --> 00:32:55,929
found buried and sealed
inside 11 caves.
702
00:32:56,016 --> 00:32:59,346
It’s hard to overstate
their importance.
703
00:32:59,478 --> 00:33:02,938
Here, we find the oldest
surviving manuscripts
704
00:33:03,023 --> 00:33:05,573
of many parts
of the Hebrew Bible.
705
00:33:05,692 --> 00:33:07,032
There’s a bunch
of other writings
706
00:33:07,110 --> 00:33:08,650
in there as well that give us
707
00:33:08,737 --> 00:33:11,907
all kinds of important
historical information.
708
00:33:12,032 --> 00:33:17,122
So, as an archaeological find,
the Dead Sea Scrolls are huge.
709
00:33:17,204 --> 00:33:20,124
HUGO: Most of the scrolls
are papyrus or parchment,
710
00:33:20,207 --> 00:33:23,707
and most of them contain
stories and scriptures.
711
00:33:23,835 --> 00:33:26,545
But one of them,
discovered in 1952,
712
00:33:26,671 --> 00:33:28,511
is made of copper.
713
00:33:28,590 --> 00:33:31,130
It dates back
to the first century.
714
00:33:31,218 --> 00:33:33,678
JIM: The Copper Scroll
is not a bible story.
715
00:33:33,762 --> 00:33:35,972
On that copper,
they have hammered instructions
716
00:33:36,056 --> 00:33:39,136
to find treasures from
the Temple of Solomon,
717
00:33:39,226 --> 00:33:42,226
which I believe includes
the Ark of the Covenant.
718
00:33:42,354 --> 00:33:44,654
HUGO: The Copper Scroll
lists 64 places
719
00:33:44,731 --> 00:33:46,481
where various items are hidden,
720
00:33:46,566 --> 00:33:49,066
including hordes
of gold and silver.
721
00:33:49,152 --> 00:33:52,532
But the text is vague
and difficult to decipher,
722
00:33:52,614 --> 00:33:54,744
possibly to prevent outsiders
723
00:33:54,824 --> 00:33:58,584
from discovering the location
of these sites.
724
00:33:58,662 --> 00:34:02,422
The text gives a number
of directions to landmarks
725
00:34:02,499 --> 00:34:05,499
that only locals
would likely have known.
726
00:34:05,585 --> 00:34:09,415
Like, "It’s in the salt pit
under the steps,"
727
00:34:09,506 --> 00:34:12,586
or, "in the cave
of the old washer’s chamber
728
00:34:12,676 --> 00:34:14,756
on the third terrace."
729
00:34:14,886 --> 00:34:16,756
LAURENCE: Barfield
was a fire investigator
730
00:34:16,846 --> 00:34:18,426
for 23 years.
731
00:34:18,515 --> 00:34:21,435
After dedicating his life
to solving mysteries,
732
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,060
he turns his attention
to this one.
733
00:34:26,022 --> 00:34:28,572
JIM: And I made it my mission
to decode the Copper Scroll
734
00:34:28,650 --> 00:34:30,320
and find
the Ark of the Covenant.
735
00:34:30,443 --> 00:34:33,073
And now, I believe I’m on
the verge of a breakthrough.
736
00:34:33,154 --> 00:34:36,124
NICOLA: So, there’s a compelling
trail of evidence
737
00:34:36,241 --> 00:34:40,541
that leads Barfield to Qumran
in search of the Ark.
738
00:34:40,620 --> 00:34:42,460
There’s a tunnel
leading out of Jerusalem
739
00:34:42,581 --> 00:34:44,211
straight to a waterway.
740
00:34:44,291 --> 00:34:47,041
They’ve done excavations
all along this path,
741
00:34:47,127 --> 00:34:49,377
and they’ve found coins,
pottery,
742
00:34:49,462 --> 00:34:52,172
evidence that ancient Jews
were in that area.
743
00:34:52,299 --> 00:34:54,219
HUGO: The waterway
leads to Qumran,
744
00:34:54,301 --> 00:34:57,141
which is known
as a place of safekeeping--
745
00:34:57,262 --> 00:34:59,222
full of caves, in which
were found
746
00:34:59,306 --> 00:35:02,636
hundreds of priceless artifacts,
including the Copper Scroll,
747
00:35:02,767 --> 00:35:06,397
a treasure map written
in Hebrew, found in Qumran.
748
00:35:06,479 --> 00:35:09,149
It doesn’t explicitly say
in the Copper Scroll
749
00:35:09,274 --> 00:35:13,244
that the location for all these
hidden treasures is Qumran.
750
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,660
But it makes sense that
you might wanna look there.
751
00:35:16,781 --> 00:35:19,661
In 2007 I was ready
to visit Qumran.
752
00:35:19,784 --> 00:35:21,744
I had my own replica
of the Copper Scroll.
753
00:35:21,828 --> 00:35:24,908
I had satellite maps
and all the information
754
00:35:24,998 --> 00:35:27,328
that I could gather
from the biblical text.
755
00:35:27,417 --> 00:35:29,497
But when I got there,
I had no idea
756
00:35:29,628 --> 00:35:30,748
what I might encounter.
757
00:35:30,837 --> 00:35:34,377
Was I wrong about all this?
Was it a wild goose chase?
758
00:35:34,507 --> 00:35:35,757
There’s only one way
to find out.
759
00:35:41,348 --> 00:35:44,768
LAURENCE: In 2007, investigator
Jim Barfield’s search
760
00:35:44,851 --> 00:35:46,851
for the famed
Ark of the Covenant
761
00:35:46,978 --> 00:35:49,268
brings him to the ancient
Jewish settlement
762
00:35:49,356 --> 00:35:51,856
of Qumran, Israel.
763
00:35:51,983 --> 00:35:53,443
JIM: Qumran was destroyed
764
00:35:53,526 --> 00:35:55,356
by the Romans, very similar
765
00:35:55,445 --> 00:35:57,035
to what happened in Jerusalem.
766
00:35:57,155 --> 00:35:59,615
But unlike Jerusalem,
the Romans didn’t take
767
00:35:59,699 --> 00:36:00,949
all the treasures.
768
00:36:01,034 --> 00:36:04,874
Nearly 2,000 years later,
the Dead Sea Scrolls remained,
769
00:36:04,996 --> 00:36:06,706
waiting to be discovered.
770
00:36:06,831 --> 00:36:09,291
And I believe still hiding
at Qumran
771
00:36:09,376 --> 00:36:11,996
are the temple treasures
of King Solomon
772
00:36:12,087 --> 00:36:13,547
and the Ark of the Covenant.
773
00:36:15,423 --> 00:36:17,303
LAURENCE: Barfield
narrows his search
774
00:36:17,384 --> 00:36:19,974
based on instructions
in the Copper Scroll.
775
00:36:20,053 --> 00:36:22,143
HUGO: Location one
on the Copper Scroll
776
00:36:22,222 --> 00:36:24,102
describes 17 talents
777
00:36:24,224 --> 00:36:26,144
of silver service vessels.
778
00:36:26,226 --> 00:36:29,226
That’s around 1,200 pounds,
779
00:36:29,354 --> 00:36:33,194
or $340,000 of pure silver.
780
00:36:33,274 --> 00:36:36,744
But of course, it’s priceless
as an archaeological find.
781
00:36:36,861 --> 00:36:40,161
JIM: This Copper Scroll said
it’s at the steps heading east,
782
00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:43,530
40 cubits long.
That’s about 65 feet.
783
00:36:43,618 --> 00:36:46,328
LAURENCE: In Qumran,
Barfield is only able to find
784
00:36:46,413 --> 00:36:50,003
one location with steps
heading east.
785
00:36:50,083 --> 00:36:52,003
JIM: When I get there,
I measured the steps,
786
00:36:52,085 --> 00:36:54,885
and they are exactly
40 cubits long.
787
00:36:54,963 --> 00:36:57,843
And I am absolutely convinced
that those service vessels
788
00:36:57,924 --> 00:37:00,344
are buried at that location.
789
00:37:00,427 --> 00:37:02,007
NICOLA:
Remember, this is Barfield’s
790
00:37:02,095 --> 00:37:03,555
first visit out there.
791
00:37:03,638 --> 00:37:05,428
He’s not part of any dig.
792
00:37:05,557 --> 00:37:08,097
He’s just really trying
to line things up.
793
00:37:08,226 --> 00:37:10,686
LAURENCE: Next, Barfield turns
his attention
794
00:37:10,770 --> 00:37:13,150
to finding location number two.
795
00:37:13,273 --> 00:37:14,613
JIM: A second location
on the Copper Scroll
796
00:37:14,733 --> 00:37:16,573
says "in the dry cistern,
797
00:37:16,651 --> 00:37:19,361
"at the great ruined courtyard
of the peristyle,
798
00:37:19,446 --> 00:37:22,236
"in the soft sea floor
is hidden polished gold.
799
00:37:22,323 --> 00:37:25,873
In front of the uppermost
opening are 900 talents."
800
00:37:25,952 --> 00:37:29,542
That’s an incredible 33 tons
of polished gold.
801
00:37:29,622 --> 00:37:32,122
HUGO: So now, Barfield
is looking for a cistern
802
00:37:32,208 --> 00:37:34,538
and a courtyard,
but he’s still not sure
803
00:37:34,627 --> 00:37:37,877
that the Copper Scroll
is referring to places
804
00:37:37,964 --> 00:37:39,384
in and around Qumran.
805
00:37:39,466 --> 00:37:41,676
He believes, though,
that the sites
806
00:37:41,801 --> 00:37:43,261
keep lining up for him.
807
00:37:43,344 --> 00:37:45,304
JIM: And when I found
the location
808
00:37:45,388 --> 00:37:48,178
of the cistern,
it was easy to determine
809
00:37:48,308 --> 00:37:50,598
because there was
a great courtyard there
810
00:37:50,685 --> 00:37:52,805
that matched the description
of the Copper Scroll.
811
00:37:52,937 --> 00:37:55,557
NICOLA: Barfield is excited,
and he believes that he’s found
812
00:37:55,648 --> 00:37:59,398
33 tons of polished gold
in this location.
813
00:37:59,486 --> 00:38:02,196
LAURENCE: Unfortunately,
Barfield lacks permission
814
00:38:02,322 --> 00:38:05,572
to dig, so he can’t verify
the gold is here.
815
00:38:05,658 --> 00:38:08,998
But he’s looking
for a much more valuable prize.
816
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,910
JIM: Locations one and two
are lining up.
817
00:38:11,998 --> 00:38:16,088
But my ultimate goal is to find
location number three,
818
00:38:16,169 --> 00:38:18,339
which could hold
the temple treasures
819
00:38:18,463 --> 00:38:20,803
of King Solomon
and the Ark of the Covenant.
820
00:38:20,882 --> 00:38:23,682
NICOLA: The Copper Scroll
describes this location
821
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,180
as being at the north end
of the Hill of Kohlit.
822
00:38:27,263 --> 00:38:29,603
Whatever the ancient Jews
used to refer to
823
00:38:29,682 --> 00:38:31,772
as the Hill of Kohlit,
824
00:38:31,851 --> 00:38:34,521
it’s been lost
to the sands of time.
825
00:38:34,646 --> 00:38:37,356
JIM: I realized that the hill
couldn’t be within Qumran
826
00:38:37,482 --> 00:38:39,942
because there’s no hills within
the ruins of Qumran.
827
00:38:40,026 --> 00:38:41,856
But there are several nearby.
828
00:38:43,488 --> 00:38:45,778
LAURENCE: Barfield studies
satellite imagery
829
00:38:45,865 --> 00:38:48,235
to identify
a potential candidate
830
00:38:48,368 --> 00:38:50,288
for the Hill of Kohlit.
831
00:38:50,370 --> 00:38:53,660
Not only does Barfield
find a hill that seems to match,
832
00:38:53,748 --> 00:38:56,498
when he gets there,
there appears to be a cave
833
00:38:56,584 --> 00:38:57,844
that’s sealed shut.
834
00:38:57,919 --> 00:39:02,089
To him, it doesn’t look
like a natural rock formation.
835
00:39:02,215 --> 00:39:04,305
LAURENCE: He believes
the cave’s location
836
00:39:04,384 --> 00:39:06,094
may also be a clue.
837
00:39:06,219 --> 00:39:08,299
When I looked at this location
on my map,
838
00:39:08,388 --> 00:39:11,558
locations three, two, and one
839
00:39:11,683 --> 00:39:13,733
were in a perfectly
straight line.
840
00:39:13,852 --> 00:39:17,272
It was as if
whoever wrote this document
841
00:39:17,397 --> 00:39:20,647
was leading me to this
specific location.
842
00:39:20,733 --> 00:39:22,743
LAURENCE:
Barfield is eager to prove
843
00:39:22,819 --> 00:39:25,649
this cave is hiding something.
844
00:39:25,738 --> 00:39:29,618
JIM: I decided that I would
take a sample of this stone
845
00:39:29,742 --> 00:39:31,872
and send it off to a lab
in Skokie, Illinois,
846
00:39:31,953 --> 00:39:33,583
where we had it examined.
847
00:39:33,663 --> 00:39:36,623
And they find that it
is manmade mortar
848
00:39:36,749 --> 00:39:39,959
in a common mixture and formula
from that timeframe.
849
00:39:40,086 --> 00:39:44,416
Why would somebody seal
a random hill with concrete?
850
00:39:45,550 --> 00:39:48,300
HUGO: So, James Barfield
takes all of this evidence
851
00:39:48,428 --> 00:39:51,138
and requests the permission
of Israeli authorities
852
00:39:51,264 --> 00:39:53,184
to conduct a dig.
853
00:39:53,266 --> 00:39:55,176
They don’t go that far,
but they do allow him
854
00:39:55,268 --> 00:39:58,598
to return in 2014
with a parliamentary delegate
855
00:39:58,688 --> 00:40:00,648
named Moshe Feiglin.
856
00:40:00,773 --> 00:40:03,783
This time, he’s able to bring in
more advanced equipment.
857
00:40:03,902 --> 00:40:08,072
What we decided to do was buy
an industrial metal detector.
858
00:40:08,156 --> 00:40:11,026
Before I went back,
we took that metal detector,
859
00:40:11,117 --> 00:40:14,367
and I buried 30 pounds of silver
in my front yard
860
00:40:14,454 --> 00:40:16,294
to get a baseline, to make sure
861
00:40:16,414 --> 00:40:18,584
that what we were seeing,
we could judge it
862
00:40:18,666 --> 00:40:21,376
against whatever
we might find at Qumran.
863
00:40:21,461 --> 00:40:25,171
Back in Qumran, we scanned
the courtyard of the peristyle,
864
00:40:25,298 --> 00:40:28,588
and as we got close,
we just clipped the edge
865
00:40:28,676 --> 00:40:31,046
where the 33 tons of gold
were buried,
866
00:40:31,137 --> 00:40:33,967
and the readings
just went off the charts.
867
00:40:34,098 --> 00:40:36,308
And when we get
to location number three,
868
00:40:36,434 --> 00:40:39,064
the metal detector
confirms my suspicions
869
00:40:39,145 --> 00:40:40,895
that this is the mother lode.
870
00:40:40,980 --> 00:40:43,570
HUGO: According to
Barfield’s results,
871
00:40:43,650 --> 00:40:48,320
the metal detector finds
five times the amount of metal
872
00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:52,446
in location number three
than the 33 tons of gold
873
00:40:52,533 --> 00:40:54,583
posited for location number two.
874
00:40:54,661 --> 00:40:56,751
I’ve already proven that
something is down there.
875
00:40:56,829 --> 00:40:59,419
Now, we’ve gotta dig it up
and see what it is.
876
00:40:59,499 --> 00:41:02,379
The Copper Scroll,
the biblical text, the map,
877
00:41:02,502 --> 00:41:05,422
the mortar,
the metal detector readings--
878
00:41:05,505 --> 00:41:07,475
all of these leave me
with no doubt,
879
00:41:07,548 --> 00:41:09,008
in this sealed cave
880
00:41:09,092 --> 00:41:11,592
are the greatest treasures
of Israel.
881
00:41:11,678 --> 00:41:15,178
When they finally give us
permission to do the excavation,
882
00:41:15,264 --> 00:41:17,604
we’re gonna be face to face
with the Ark of the Covenant.
883
00:41:22,063 --> 00:41:25,443
Jim Barfield is currently
lobbying the Israeli Congress
884
00:41:25,525 --> 00:41:28,115
for permission to excavate
at Qumran.
885
00:41:28,194 --> 00:41:30,614
If he’s successful,
there’s a chance
886
00:41:30,697 --> 00:41:32,987
that the search for
the Ark of the Covenant
887
00:41:33,074 --> 00:41:34,914
may one day be over.
888
00:41:35,034 --> 00:41:37,164
I’m Laurence Fishburne.
889
00:41:37,245 --> 00:41:41,375
Thank you for watching
"History’s Greatest Mysteries."